The Dendrochronology of Lincoln & Daisy // a Staticquake fanfic

Lincoln Campbell: Age 24

Lincoln graduated a year early from his undergrad and decided to go on to med school. Ever since he was young, he had wanted to be a doctor. He wanted to help people. If he was honest with himself, that's why he had started dating Jenny. She was a mess all through high school and Lincoln just wanted to help her get her life on track, but in the end, she wasn't the one for him. They had broken up pretty early into their freshman year of college. It worked out great for Lincoln: sophomore year he met Ellie Meyers, who he thought was the love his life. He shared a few biology courses with the nursing student, and it was safe to say that Lincoln had fallen head over heels for Ellie. Until they started fighting.

They were fighting a lot these days. Ellie just got a job at the hospital in Lincoln's hometown, just 45 minutes outside of Cincinnati where Lincoln was still studying, making their time together shorter than they were used to. Ellie wanted to get an apartment closer to the hospital, while Lincoln wanted to stay in the dorms on campus. Their most recent fight ended with Ellie storming off to her dorm and Lincoln feeling trapped in his. Nothing had really been going his way before that: his grades were down in his classes, he hadn't picked a specialty yet, and his parents were on his case about his absence at home. His classes were hard, he hadn't made any friends, and he felt oddly out of place in just about every part of his life. That was when he started partying.

Lincoln was never one to party in high school and he kept it to a minimum during his undergrad, but med school was hard, and he needed a break every once in a while. Except "every once in a while" had turned into every weekend. And every weekend Lincoln got drunk. It wasn't that he enjoyed drinking, it was just that he enjoyed the numbness that came with it. The feeling of being invincible. The calmness of not feeling anything at all.

That was how he showed up to Ellie's parents' house tonight. They were both home for the weekend and Ellie had wanted to go on a real date, claiming they hadn't had one in a while. Deep down, Lincoln knew that was true. He had been an absent boyfriend. But right now, he was too drunk to admit that.

"What is wrong with you?!" Ellie yelled at him as she got into the car. "You almost took out my parents' mailbox!"

Lincoln just chuckled softly. "Man, my bad. It just came out of nowhere!"

Ellie looked at him. "The mailbox came out of nowhere?"

Lincoln nodded, pulling out onto the main road. "Mmhm."

The drive to the restaurant wasn't supposed to be long, but Lincoln took the long way there. Instead of taking a highway route, he turned onto a side road, taking the car past the city park. He glanced out the window long enough to catch a glimpse of the old oak tree he used to play under. For a moment, with his mind a hazy from the alcohol, Lincoln thought he could see a girl sitting on one of the park benches. Dark hair, tanned skin. He thought he could see a smile on her face. But as soon as she had appeared in his vision, the girl was gone.

"Lincoln, pay attention!" Ellie's voice cut loudly into his thoughts. Lincoln slammed on the breaks, catching the car before it could run through a red light.

"Geez, babe. What were you even looking at?" Ellie glanced out her window trying to figure what had Lincoln so distracted. Lincoln didn't respond as he was slightly annoyed at Ellie for distracting him from who he thought was Skye. The girl he had given a name to. He hadn't thought about her in so long... it had been years since he had been by the park. Lincoln wasn't even sure why he drove past it tonight, but now that he had, he felt heavy weight settle upon him. He felt as though someone had torn through his chest.

Lincoln absentmindedly rested his hand upon his heart, trying to determine if he really had been injured. He hadn't, at least not in a physical way. But his heart ached for a brown-eyed teenager he hadn't seen since he was sixteen. As Lincoln managed to pull into the restaurant parking lot, his mind was clouded; not just from the few drinks he'd downed before dinner, but also from the memories he had tried so hard to suppress.

Lincoln was only a little buzzed when he and Ellie finally sat down at their table. But with his newfound grief over some girl he barely knew, the drinks kept coming and Lincoln sure drank enough during the meal to finally get something off of his chest.

"I think we should get an apartment at the university. I think that's a really good idea." If he was being honest with himself, Lincoln would have realized a long time ago that this feeling was the reason he never liked coming home. He never liked driving by the park. Something about remembering Skye always made his heart feel heavy and his head feel foggy. Lincoln felt silly for being so hung up on a girl he only knew for a couple of months. He had to get away from here. He had to get out.

Ellie glanced at him from across the table. "Linc, we already talked about this. I'm the one with the job right now. We should get the apartment by the hospital. You're still living off your parent's money. It doesn't make sense."

In his drunken state, Ellie's words hit him like a truck. After taking another sip of his drink, his voice rose only slightly. "You don't think I can take care of you?"

"Don't use that accusatory tone with me, Lincoln Campbell." Ellie pointed a finger at him. "I know that you are working hard for your future, but at this moment, I have the highest income. So, if you really want to live together, we should live closer to my job. It makes sense." Her voice was gentler now as she reached for his hand. "We don't even have to move in together. Forty-five minutes is not that long of a drive." She smiled kindly after this last part, hoping to encourage him.

But Lincoln was too drunk to be encouraged. All he could feel was anger. He scoffed and tore his hand away from Ellie, getting up from the table in a hurry. He made a quick exit out of the restaurant, bumping into a few customers on the way out.

Ellie was right on his heels, calling his name in a panic. "Lincoln!" She finally caught up to him, banging for him to unlock the car and let her in. "Don't just leave me here! What is going on with you?"

Lincoln had unlocked the car then and Ellie slid into the passenger seat just in time for him to shift the car into gear and drive out of the restaurant parking lot. What happened next was a blur. One moment the two of them sat in Lincoln's car, screaming at each other with no real purpose. Neither was listening to anything that was being said. Lincoln had just admitted to being drunk when in the next moment, the car was wrapped around a telephone pole. Blood was streaming down Lincoln's face. Ellie groaned quietly in pain.

"Ellie? Ellie, you okay?" Lincoln tried to reach for his girlfriend but found himself unable to do so. "Somebody, help!" Lincoln let out a hoarse scream and eventually cried himself unconscious; his world turned black.

When Lincoln finally opened his eyes, he wasn't in his car anymore. He was in a bed. And a man without eyes hovered over him.

"Hello, Lincoln," the man spoke calmly, lifting a hand in a small wave. "My name is Gordon. I'm going to be your Transitioner. Welcome to Afterlife."